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Strategic and corporate package delivers new image for 'new' City

When South Australia's City of West Torrens joined with the Town of Thebarton in 1997 rather than being an amalgamation it was really a reunification according to Manager Special Projects Joe Fayad.

"Thebarton had been a ward of West Torrens until 1883," Joe said. "Coming back together has reunited the common heritage of the two places." This theme has underpinned the City's Strategic and Corporate Package designed to promote a new unified city vision.

As well as reuniting the historic City, Joe said the amalgamation encouraged the development of a sense of place in a global sense. "As home to Adelaide's international airport we have an immediate link with the rest of the world," he said. "This helps us to truly encourage a sense of acting locally and thinking globally in this community."

Joe and his team developed the package to give residents and visitors a sense of reunification and a sense of being in a special part of the world. The package includes an Easy Guide to Council services, a map 'Our Place in History', the City's Financial Report, a new style Annual Report and a new logo which combines multiple aspects of West Torrens.

Overall the new corporate image embodies the essence of the City as a place of opportunity. The resources, the heritage, community spirit and aspirations work together to create a prosperous and sustainable future in a global environment.

The blue wavy line represents the River Torrens. The green wavy line represents the coast or beach. Together they also represent the centre piece in the former West Torrens Coat of Arms. The setting sun portrays the City's geographical location in the west and also represents the centre piece in the former Thebarton crest.

The stream of dots represent the cultural heritage of the area - traditionally the home of the Kaurna people. The stream of blue dots represent a moving motion of breaking through from the past into the future. The white wavy line represents Reunification, Strength, Power and Peace.

Rather than being traditionally presented according to each Department's activities, the annual Report includes contributions from each Department to the City's philosophy that West Torrens should be a place where people want to live, work, grow, invest, learn and enjoy; a place of service; a place of care; a City where there is pride of place.

Particularly popular has been the history chart of the City where Adelaide's surveyor Colonel Light once resided. This has been well received by schools and serves to give people a strong awareness of the place in which they live.

"Within the context of the package and the emphasis on global thinking we created a new City vision," Joe Fayad said. "By 2005 West Torrens will be known globally as a City of opportunities." The package has proved so popular it has already had three print runs due to multiple requests.

For further information contact Joe Fayad, telephone (08) 8443 6555

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